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Semantic/pragmatic theory and second language teaching syllabus design

Semantic/pragmatic theory and second language teaching syllabus design
Semantic/pragmatic theory and second language teaching syllabus design

This thesis is an assessment of the potential contribution of current semantic and pragmatic theory to second language teaching syllabus design. Chapter 1 sets out the pedagogical context for the study, considering the overall place of the syllabus in the curriculum and assessing the semantic/pragmatic approach to syllabus design in relation to other approaches. Ensuing chapters then consider units of language/discourse from the point of view of semantic/pragmatic theory and the implications of the theory for application to the syllabus. Chapter 2 thus examines the systematic features that semantics and pragmatics are able to uncover in relation to the linguistic level of lexis and considers their implications for syllabus design. Chapter 3 takes a similar approach with the sentence. Chapters 4-6 deal with speech acts. Chapter 4 outlines the theoretical background, Chapter 5 examines speech act theory in relation to the learner and the learning task, whilst Chapter 6 discusses some of the problems of speech act theory as they relate to application to the syllabus. Chapter 7 considers the role of situation in relation to utterances and implications for the syllabus. Chapters 8-10 examine utterances in combination. Chapter 8 considers the question of textual relations in fairly general terms, examining three types of relation - cohesion, thematic structure, and coherence. Chapter 9 looks at coherence at the level of the exchange. Chapter 10 considers units of discourse above the level of the exchange. Chapter 11 deals with global approaches to text processing. The final chapter synthesises the findings of the main body of the thesis, proposing criteria for selection and grading for the semantic/pragmatic units of a syllabus, and an integrated model for a semantic/pragmatic approach to syllabus design.

University of Southampton
Flowerdew, John Leslie
Flowerdew, John Leslie

Flowerdew, John Leslie (1989) Semantic/pragmatic theory and second language teaching syllabus design. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

This thesis is an assessment of the potential contribution of current semantic and pragmatic theory to second language teaching syllabus design. Chapter 1 sets out the pedagogical context for the study, considering the overall place of the syllabus in the curriculum and assessing the semantic/pragmatic approach to syllabus design in relation to other approaches. Ensuing chapters then consider units of language/discourse from the point of view of semantic/pragmatic theory and the implications of the theory for application to the syllabus. Chapter 2 thus examines the systematic features that semantics and pragmatics are able to uncover in relation to the linguistic level of lexis and considers their implications for syllabus design. Chapter 3 takes a similar approach with the sentence. Chapters 4-6 deal with speech acts. Chapter 4 outlines the theoretical background, Chapter 5 examines speech act theory in relation to the learner and the learning task, whilst Chapter 6 discusses some of the problems of speech act theory as they relate to application to the syllabus. Chapter 7 considers the role of situation in relation to utterances and implications for the syllabus. Chapters 8-10 examine utterances in combination. Chapter 8 considers the question of textual relations in fairly general terms, examining three types of relation - cohesion, thematic structure, and coherence. Chapter 9 looks at coherence at the level of the exchange. Chapter 10 considers units of discourse above the level of the exchange. Chapter 11 deals with global approaches to text processing. The final chapter synthesises the findings of the main body of the thesis, proposing criteria for selection and grading for the semantic/pragmatic units of a syllabus, and an integrated model for a semantic/pragmatic approach to syllabus design.

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Published date: 1989

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Local EPrints ID: 461521
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/461521
PURE UUID: 4710ef2d-c431-4d0b-b103-9018886f87c1

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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:48
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 18:48

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Author: John Leslie Flowerdew

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